Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Amiko White’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Amiko White’, characterized by its compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with white-colored ray florets that are initially light yellow in color; and excellent garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘AMIKO WHITE’.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO CLOSELY RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Chrysanthemum Plant Named ‘Amiko Yellow’.

Applicant: Dirk Pieters.

Filed: U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/065,899.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Amiko White’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation ofChrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko Violet’, not patented. The newChrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as aflowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Amiko Violet’ ina controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium inSeptember, 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetativecuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment inOostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2008. Asexual reproduction bycuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemumplant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions and cultural conditions. The phenotypemay vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature,daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance ingenotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Amiko White’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Amiko White’ as a new and distinctChrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant        habit.    -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.    -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.    -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with white-colored ray florets        that are initially light yellow in color.    -   5. Excellent garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the parent, ‘AmikoViolet’, in ray floret color as plants of ‘Amiko Violet’ haveviolet-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from theChrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko Yellow’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patentapplication Ser. No. 13/065,899, in ray floret color as plants of ‘AmikoYellow’ have bright yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants ofChrysanthemum×morifolium ‘PPP ALUG 09’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No.21,454. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke,Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘PPPALUG 09’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more compact than plants        of ‘PPP ALUG 09’.    -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had lighter green-colored        leaves than plants of ‘PPP ALUG 09’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical floweringplant of ‘Amiko White’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoornursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer and autumn andunder conditions and practices which approximate those generally used incommercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of theplants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and nighttemperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 20 weeks old whenthe photograph and description were taken. In the following description,color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko White’.-   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of    Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko Violet’, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at            temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at            temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days            at temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days            at temperatures of about 20° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense.-   Plant description:    -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; compact            plant habit with stems upright and outwardly spreading            giving a uniformly rounded appearance to the plant; very            freely branching habit, about 20 primary lateral branches            develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple secondary            branches; pinching enhances lateral branch development;            dense and full plant habit; moderately vigorous growth            habit.        -   Plant height.—About 45 cm.        -   Plant width.—About 50 cm.        -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm to 22 cm. Diameter:            About 2 mm to 3 mm. Internode length: About 4 cm. Strength:            Strong. Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color:            Close to 145A.        -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 2.5 cm            to 4 cm. Width: About 2.5 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to            cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and            serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to            parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly            pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to            145A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 145B. Fully            expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 139C; venation,            close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close            to 145B; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petiole: Length:            About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower            surfaces: Slightly pubescent and rough. Color, upper            surface: Close to 139C. Color, lower surface: Close to 145B.-   Inflorescence description:    -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;            inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc            and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.        -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.        -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants            flower mid-September in Belgium; flowering response time,            about six weeks.        -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color            and substance for about seven weeks in an outdoor nursery;            inflorescences persistent.        -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop            per lateral branch.        -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 2 cm. Diameter: About            2.5 cm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 145A.        -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 7 cm. Depth (height):            About 4 cm. Disc diameter: About 3 mm. Receptacle diameter:            About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.            Receptacle color: Close to 144B.        -   Ray florets.—Length: About 5 cm to 7 cm. Width: About 7 mm.            Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.            Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:            Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per inflorescence:            About 150 to 200 arranged in about ten whorls. Color: When            opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 4D. Fully            opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 155B; color            becoming closer to 155D with development.        -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to            1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute. Number of            disc florets per inflorescence: About 30 massed at the            center of the inflorescence. Color, immature: Close to 145A.            Color, mature: Close to 12A.        -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25            arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.            Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.            Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper            and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:            Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.        -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 3 cm. Length,            fourth peduncle: About 4 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About            5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.            Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.            Color: Close to 145A.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:            Not observed.        -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been            observed.-   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to    Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under    commercial conditions.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have    demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate    temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C.

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Amiko White’ asillustrated and described.